Google Search: Are Consumers Tired of Technology?

There are times in our lives when we draw odd conclusions from the information to which we are privy. This could span a whole gamut of different issues from politics to which car we decide to buy. The same is true when the issue is one where we are influenced through an illusion of reality. An example of this was provided by Alexis Madrigal of The Atlantic, who concluded that the user’s ability to look up certain computer terms with the Google search engine was giving way to consumer apathy in technology.

It was interesting to note that the direction for search terms that users were encouraged to choose was dependent on the term’s order of descent within the search engine. So how is this determined? The descent itself is decided by how many other people have looked for the same term. This alone, as the author was to learn, was not the only variable that could explain lower search results over the years.

Given these ideas, I began to question just how accurate search results are and if the results are inconsistent with the true picture.

In Terms of Technology Questions, Are People Questioning the Validity of the Results Provided by Google’s Search Engine?

For explanation purposes, let us take a look at the word “computer.” A decade ago, the term was usually applied to a laptop or desktop system running an operating system created by Microsoft, Apple, or one of the Linux flavors out there. Today, things are a bit more complicated, meaning that the word “computer” could be referencing any of the following:

Smartphone

Tablet

Netbook

PDA

Notebook

Laptop

Desktop

Game console

This means that, when you enter the word “computer” into your search engine, you can get results that vary and might include information about any of the above. For me, this often results in absolute frustration as I seek how to ask a question in a way that will ensure that I get the desired result.

Are People Changing Their Search Behaviors?

I know that I am not alone in feeling this frustration, but in using the word “computer” I unwittingly complicate my choices by choosing a term that is rarely used today. Knowing this, one can simplify their search by using the correct terminology. An example would be Apple’s iPad. Though an Apple iPad is a computer, per se, one considers the Apple iPad to be a tablet. Therefore, if one were looking for information about an Apple iPad, the word “tablet” would be used before “computer.” Another example is the cellphone or smartphone, which is basically a miniature computer, but is rarely referenced as such. This again means that, if you enter the word “cellphone” into a search engine, articles about cellphones and smartphones will be referenced before another site that uses the term “computer.” So, based on this criteria, users must alter their search program input to get the desired results.

Is Google Doing a Better Job at Search?

While frustrating at times, there is no doubt that, during the past decade, Google has vastly improved on the search results that are being returned. To make these improvements, Google has opened a significant number of new data centers that have dramatically improved the way that results are displayed for our perusal. In fact, not only are the results more relevant than they were in the past, but access to them is also a whole lot quicker.

How Relevant Was the Article About Search?

Since the writer of the Atlantic article seems to have interpreted the data with their own opinion, you could do the same. I’m supposing the shift has to do with more people online and using devices that aren’t perceived (by the general consumer) as being computers.

I know that I rarely think about how ingenious my smartphone is and the fact that it is really a mini computer. Yet, given its size and all that it can do, this device is phenomenal. Why? Because this powerful little piece of technology has more processing power, works more smoothly, and has fewer issues than laptop or desktop computers. In fact, it can do just about everything (minus the word processing or video editing options), that laptops or desktop computers did just 10 years ago. Yet, on the flip side, I still manage to look at the device as a telephone rather than a computer.

Another great article, Ron (and The Atlantic reporter). It’s such a simple concept but yes, I had never really thought about it. And it’s staring me in the face. We all learn about best tips for searching, etc. but this subject never, ever, ever comes up. Thank you so much for making the obvious more obvious. (And I’m a college graduate from premiere school with science background!!!)

Curtis Coburn

I think the word “computer” still refers to Desktops and Laptops made by the three OS makers. Apple, Microsoft, and Linux. When I think of a iPad or an iPhone, the word “Tablet” and “Smartphone” are still stuck in my head, because that is the proper name for them. Yes they are still computers, but I think of them as a “Tablet computer” and a “Smartphone computer”. The proper name of the device comes first.

http://www.facebook.com/jrdnv Jordan Vasquez

Yes I agree. I bet if you combined all of those results the number would be huge.

http://www.facebook.com/dspector32 David Spector

I look at iPhone as a phone my laptop as a computer and since I do not have a iPad I cant say tablet. But today searching has become much easier and I can just type in whatever i want to search in verbatim and get the results.

Matthew Cheung

With Google as my primary search engine, I love how easy it is just to be able to search anything I want any time on any of my devices. Everything is so seamless and easier than it has been before.

http://www.facebook.com/beshoy.lovesjesus Beshoy Shafek Malk

Honstly when i search something like a product i type the exact product name and brand, except apple of course, like “hp touchpad” instead of “touchpad”…and these days its google that people search on…it comforts mee

Ben Rupert

Now that you mention it I have no idea the last time I searched a computer. and I even recently bought a new computer. I do however search tablets all the time I cant get enough of them

http://twitter.com/uthmanbaksh Uthman Baksh

My iPhone is like an extension of my computer. I use services like iCloud and Google Chrome to sync my activity from one device to the next and back. Google however is still my primary search engine. The last time I searched for computer stuff on Google was… I can’t recall! Oh it was earlier. I googled Windows 8. Does that count? n hindsight, I should have Binged it!

Jesse Aranda

I am kind of happy to have my family because I can see the consumer market while living in the niche market of being geek. When my mom and dad said they wanted a new computer, I searched around. But, I didn’t search Google at all for the product itself but instead I searched for different online stores that could bring me the lowest price for said computer.

http://bkgcom.blogspot.in/ Bharat Kumar Gupta

Hm quite interesting, i never thought about it when i search google or force myself to use the “correct” terms when the search results are simply suppose to work, hey this looks like an experiment i shud give it a try. It see this is also influencing what companies ought to pay attention to, the trends! Data is powerful i guess!

Cwold01

My iPOD Touch is my portable computer i made files and share on my all computers by using Dropbox.

http://www.facebook.com/gregory.alexander.568 Gregory Alexander

I must admit that I think Google does a great job of relevant results for my search activities. My big frustration with others is the fact that I get everything but what I’m searching for e.g. Take BING, great for travel and places but terrible when I type say “73 Oldsmobile Cutlass” and it will come back with anything but the car.

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